She's one badass chick, Sammy
by gryffinclaw95
Summary: While passing through a small town in the middle of Arizona, the Winchester boys meet a fellow Hunter...and may have made a powerful ally in her. Based off of the Season 2 canon for some good old-fashioned Winchester hunting, and this may or may not turn into a super long fic. I'm still deciding that at the moment. I also am not able to update super-often, just fyi.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sam sits on his bed in the motel and asks, "So you want to stake out the school by getting _jobs _there?"

His brother replies, "Yep. Perfect cover. It'll give us the chance to learn more about the small footprints around the crime scene and stuff."

"Dude, I think this is just another Hunter. The killings of those vampires were _professional_. Whoever did it knew _exactly _what they were doing."

"Good point, but we should still check it out to see who's doin' it."

"Fine. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow. You're a new guidance counselor and I'm a substitute for an AP Engilsh class."

Sam frowns at Dean slightly. "Shouldn't I be the one teaching AP English? I was the one who went to college on a full-ride."

"Too bad. I've already got it." Dean smirks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rose hastily parks her car next to a pristine '67 Chevy Impala in the student parking lot and rushes to get inside, hoping that last job didn't make her too late for class. "Shit-shit-shit-" She stumbles into AP English III and takes her seat in front of the teacher's desk...but there's a substitute...

A handsome one.

He smiles at her and says, "You're lucky. What's your name?"

"Rose. Rose Hexbane."

He glances at the roster and replies, "Glad to have you in class, Rose."

The bell rings, making all of Rose's classmates jump up and leave, except for her. This is her free period, so she stays behind and asks her new substitute, "So what kind of certifications do you have for this kind of class, Mr. Warren?"

"Um..." He seems to fumble for an answer, "I'm just a substitute, I just do what your teacher wrote here in this thing." He taps a notebook with his finger.

Rose replies, "I see...have you ever read The Jungle before? Or are you just winging it as you go?"

He bites his lip and replies, "Okay-You got me. Whaddya want?"

"I want to know why you're here. We don't get new people too often here in Gilbert, so there's some other reason why you've come here."

He sighs, "I'll tell you after school, alright?"

A smile creeps its way onto Rose's face. "Okay then."

* * *

Sam and Dean go out to the Impala to leave for lunch somewhere...but Sam notices something odd about the tiny Miata that is parked right next to them.

There's a few symbols painted in black over the black paintjob that resemble protective symbols. "Um...Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"This student's car...I think they might be our other Hunter." Sam crouches down and touches the paint with his finger, finding that it's been there for a long time. Maybe a couple years at the very least. "Dude," he starts, "This paint's been there for a long time. We're not dealing with a novice here. Whoever this person-"

"It's a she."

"How do you know?"

He sighs, raising his eyebrows a little. "'Cause she's in one of my classes, Sam. She's older than everyone else. I think she's just posin' as a student as her cover."

"Well whoever she is, she's been doing this for a _long _time, Dean. Like, a _really _long time. At least a couple years."

"Well then why don't we get back to the hospital and look at those corpses again? I wanna pay more attention to how those vampires were killed."

Once again, Sam and Dean fool their way into the morgue and open one of the drawers containing the vampire's corpses.

"Holy crap..." Dean says, realizing that their Hunter friend had a blade sharp enough to cut clean through the neck in a single sweep. No hack-marks. She had even driven a stake into the thing's heart to be absolutely sure.

"Yeah...we've gotta talk to this girl," Sam says quickly.

"Why? It looks like she can handle herself out there."

"What if she's just been hunting vampires this whole time? We need to know if she can deal with other stuff too, Dean!"

* * *

Something is wrong with this situation. Rose had only re-enrolled under a new identity so she could monitor any instances of teenaged vampirism and snuff it out before it got bad.

But the "new counselor" and "new substitute" seemed _off_. Not like vampires or any other kind of supernatural monster she has fought before, more like...a couple other Hunters? Why are they here? But more importantly-if they actually are Hunters-What could they teach Rose, and would they be welcome to her tagging along?

She shakes the slight hopes out of her head and walks back to her car, completely forgetting that she was going to "interrogate" "Mr. Warren" after school. She shrugs at the thought and opens up her trunk to toss her rucksack inside and opens the hidden strongbox to put on her concealment shoulder holster, to put her leather jacket over that, and to arm herself for a Hunt. Last night, she had quite possibly closed in on the vampire lair-

"_What the hell?_"

Rose slams everything closed and sees that "Mr. Warren" is standing at the trunk of the '67 Impala Rose had parked next to that morning. Rose answers, "What? I'm just getting my jacket-"

"Uh-NO. Why the hell 've you got that many weapons back there?"

She decides to go out on a limb. "Same reason why you have _your _weapons in _your _car, 'Mr. Warren'."

He stops for a moment and says quietly, "So _that's _what the symbols on your trunk 're for."

"Yeah. They're to keep anything supernatural out of my weapons." She locks her trunk and pulls the key out. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lair to infiltrate." She begins making her way around, but "Mr. Warren" stops her. "You're gonna attack a vampire lair _alone_?"

She sarcastically pauses for a moment and answers with a smile, "...Yeah." before getting in her car and speeding out of the parking lot.

Sam snickers, "Dude, I can already tell she's exactly like you."

"Shut up."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I'd really appreciate some reviews, whether they be good or bad. I need some feedback here, because this was a late-night idea that sounded fabulous at 3 am. I also have forgotten my disclaimer that I obviously don't own the Winchesters or the Impala (though I wish I did because I have some bitching fantasies), however I do own creative rights to Rose so I can do whatever the hell I want with her.**_

Chapter 3

Rose slows down to a halt a few doors down the street from the huge house that she had determined was where the vampires are hiding out. She yanks the emergency brake upward, ready to get out and break in, but someone knocks on her window. It's "Mr. Singer". "Rose! I really don't think you should try this right now!"

She frowns and cuts the engine, staring straight ahead without a word and consumed with anger.

"Rose!"

She shoves the key back in and rolls the window down and snaps, "Now, because of your little display, I can't. Thanks a lot."

"Why do you think I did this?"

"Yeah yeah yeah-Who are you two really?"

He holds his hand into her window and answers, "Sam Winchester. The guy still in the car back there is my brother Dean." He points back at the Impala parked closely behind me.

"You sure he's okay with you telling me this?"

"Um...No. I didn't tell him I'd do this."

"Wow," Rose laughs, "...I should probably be leaving now...I need to plan my next attempt and make sure you _don't_ screw this next one up." I turn the engine on and push the parking brake back down, but Sam interrupts me. "Hey-can we talk to you for a little bit?"

"Fine. Meet me at this bar at seven-" She jots "_**Mulligan's Pub**_" onto a 3x5 card and hands it to him, "Trust me, that place is safe."

"But aren't you-"

"Sam, I'm actually _twenty-two_ years old. I'm just lucky enough to still look eighteen."

* * *

Rose sits at her normal table in the corner, constantly glancing out the window for the Impala. She had almost finished a whole beer before the brothers approach her. Dean sits across from her and the first words out of his mouth are, "Let me guess: This whole place is crawlin' with other Hunters."

She nods.

Sam sits in a chair next to his brother. "So how did you start Hunting? What drove you to it?"

"Well...a vampire killed my best friend about five years ago...They've been randomly killing people and it's been taking me awhile to finally track them down. They kinda just hop all over town, moving into-"

"Hold on." Sam interrupts, "Could you tell us some more about how you got into hunting?"

"Listen Sam, I'm not the average pedestrian. I know what you're trying to do, and I'd like to keep things professional, alright?"

He gives Dean a look, something that Rose assumed was some sort of inside joke. Dean says, "Okay then.-What can you tell us about the vampires?"

Rose inhales deeply and sips her beer before beginning. "They've been killing people in town for at least the past five years. I've been doing what I can to keep 'em in check, and I've been tracking them down to their various lairs, and now I've finally found them before they've tried moving again. I was hoping to finally take 'em all out earlier today, but Sammy here-"

"It's Sam." Sam frowns at her.

"-Fine, Sam...Anyway, he blew my cover, so now I need to figure something else out." She scowls at Sam for a moment before sipping her beer again.

"Have you fought anything other than vampires?" Sam leans forward and listens intently.

"A couple ghosts here and there, and I've been keeping an eye out for anything else...but apparently there's nothing but vampires here." She stares at the ground for a few minutes, her fingers playing with the cap to her beer bottle...until Dean asks, "You mind if we tag along on your next hunt?"

She glances up and answers immediately. "Hell no. I work alone. Why do you think my car's so small?" Sounds like someone has a hero complex or something.

"Fine. We'll do some huntin' of our own-"

"Wrong. You're gonna leave town ASAP. This is my turf until the vampires are gone." Rose stands to leave, but Dean stands as well. "Sooner or later you're gonna get hurt, Rose. Just let us help."

"I've been doing perfectly fine, thank you. I've been handling myself for the past five years-I can do it for another few days." She storms out, leaving some money on the counter as she goes.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Now is when the "T" rating really takes effect. I like to curse a lot, so be warned...and I apologize for another short chapter. I know it's getting boring, but this is the first fanfiction I've written that I'm actually trying to completely finish, so just bear with me. I'm also going to include a real description of Rose and her backstory in a later chapter-possibly within the next two chapters._**

Chapter 4

**_The next evening_**

"I really wish she would've let us help her..." Sam makes a face and adjusts his position, the vinyl upholstery making noises as he moves.

"It'll be _her_fault if she gets hurt, Sammy." Dean sighs and keeps a lookout for any sign of Rose in front of the abandoned factory. "But I still get what you're feelin'. She's probably gonna go in and fight some vampire in there and if she gets in trouble-"

"-That's why we're out here; yeah..."

"I bet she'll be fine," Dean says, and several minutes of silence follow. There is the occasional chirp of a cricket or low whisper of the warm wind, but other than that...nothing.

Until there is a sudden echo of a chain-link fence as someone climbs over it. Both brothers' eyes shoot up toward the factory and see a tall feminine figure give them a small salute before jogging up to the back door, where a silo blocks the Winchester's view. Sam immediately gets out, leaving his brother in the car saying, "I thought we were stayin' in the car."

"What I _said _was we'd keep an eye on 'er, Dean."

"Fine-"

Within moments the two were climbing the fence and following a trail of doors with broken padlocks until they hear the echoes of people fighting. Dean seizes Sam's shoulder and drags him against a doorframe, then dives to the opposite side. "_What're you doing?_" Sam whispers harshly.

"Rose doesn't know we're here, moron! Whaddya think she'll do if she finds us?"

Sam keeps his mouth shut and they both peer out to see how Rose's fight is going-

"GAH!" Rose bellows as the fang catches her in tight grip, but she stomps her heel down onto his toes and as he recoils she snaps her head backward into his nose to escape. "I'm gonna kill you, you little bitch-" He swings his fist toward her, but she blocks him and curls her arm around his, bending it the wrong way. "AH!" He shouts, trying to slash at her with his other hand.

Rose ducks and kicks his chest, pulling a small wooden stake out of her jacket as he staggers backward. She then swings it quickly in front of the fang's face like it's a stiletto.

Sam whispers, "What's she-"

"She's distractin' 'em." Dean smiles giddily.

A loud, gurgled "Argh!" catches their attention once more, and they both glance back just in time to see Rose draw a machete from her belt and slice her opponent's head off, which causes both Winchesters to shout, "Holy shit!"

Rose spins around to face them, blood dripping off the blade of her machete and the stake poking out of the vampire's chest. "What the _fuck_are you two doing here?!"

"We wanted to...eh..." Sam steps out from the doorway with Dean following close behind. Rose holds the huge blade out between them. "I thought I told you two to leave town," she says firmly, glaring up at them.

Sam starts, "Um-"

"My brother's about to say that we were gonna leave, but we heard a struggle in here, so we thought we'd check it out."

She stays silent for a moment...then lowers the machete, flicking some blood onto the vampire's corpse. "Fair enough...now just...go. Go while I'm still in a decent mood." She glances down and steps away from the rapidly growing puddle of blood. She mutters, "What a waste..."

"Were you _questioning _him?" Sam looks at her in disbelief.

She sighs. "...I'll tell you somewhere else. I think the nearby neighborhood might've heard all this and I'm not in the mood to deal with cops," she continues, pulling her stake out of the vampire's heart and leading them all out.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Yeah...Again, I don't own Sam and Dean.

Chapter 5

_Half an hour later at Mulligan's Pub, same corner table._

Rose twists the top off her beer and sips it as Sam asks, "So you said you've been hunting for _how_ long?"

"Five years."

He replies with a laugh, "How did you get skills like that?"

"Well believe it or not I didn't have any formal combat training. I just started out by losing a few pounds and did some research on killing vampires..." she starts snickering, "I actually feel kinda sorry for the first vampire I killed. I did _so _many different things to that sucker it would probably be considered torture." She sips her beer as Dean does some laughing of his own.

"After that first vampire I caught wind of a haunted house in one of the old neighborhoods around town, so because I knew vampires existed, I thought to myself: 'Well why wouldn't a ghost exist?' I did some research on that and a couple days later I was salting and burning a pile of bones...soon enough I was taking care of a few other angry spirits and at least one vampire every two weeks. After a few years of that I just slowly developed my own combat technique..." She sips her beer once more and finishes with, "And here I am now: slaughtering fangs and warding off poltergeists and putting spirits to rest."

"Have you dealt with anything else before? Like demons or shtrigas?" Sam has a beer on the table in front of him, but has barely touched it since they had entered. Rose answers, "Not really. I guess this town's just a magnet for vampires. I haven't had much trouble with anything else."

"Weird-So no strange deaths or anything in the town's history?"

"Nope. Just a couple murders a few decades ago...And I've already laid them to rest." She brushes her bangs out of the way of her glasses. "...So what brought you two around here?"

Dean asks, "Why do you care? I thought you didn't like us."

"Well seeing as you care about me a little-"

"What makes you say that?"

"You followed me to that abandoned factory and snuck into keep an eye on me. I'd consider that to be caring at least a little bit." She holds her fingers close together.

"It was Sammy's idea." Dean nods his head toward his brother, who replies, "You weren't exactly hesitant to do it, Dean."

"Okay, okay-Calm down you two. We'll have time for some lover's quarrels after the vampires are gone," Rose says, smirking at the dumbfounded looks on the brothers' faces. "Oh lighten up you two." She sips her beer, giggling at them.

Dean smiles back, while Sam buries his face in his hands and says, "It's insane how alike you two are..."

"I'm not _that_ bad, Sammy."

"It was just some harmless teasing. I meant nothing by it," Rose says, laying a hand on Sam's shoulder, but when he looks up at her defensively, her hand backs off. She smiles, "You know, you two seem alright. How'd you like to join me on my next hunt?"

Dean immediately answers, "Sounds awesome. When 're you plannin' on goin'?"

"That's the thing. I'm not sure. I still need to find out when my next target's going out to hunt for blood."

"I-we could help. No problem."

"I appreciate it. I really do...But I'm not sure whether I should trust you with knowing where my motel room is."

"There's only about three motels in the whole town. It won't be too hard to find you anyway."

"Good point...So are you _absolutely_ sure you want to help?" Rose looks up at Dean as she asks.

"Yeah. We came here for a reason, y'know."

She stands up and adjusts her jacket, the knives inside clinking as they hit each other.

The 3 hunters arrive at Roses motel room, and Sam says as she unlocks the door, "You seem to be trusting us quite a bit already."

"Neither of you look that threatening. You look like a pretty nice guy, and your brother may have the whole bad boy look going on, but I'll bet there's a heart of gold buried underneath that facade." She grins and opens the door, revealing two beds, walls plastered with maps and photos of people (four of which were the four vampires killed in the last week) and newspaper clippings. "Welcome to my humble abode, fellas," Rose announces, closing and locking the door behind the three of them. "Here's what I've got so far," She explains,gesturing around her research as she speaks, "Up here I've got the photos of missing persons who have been spotted in the indicated locations on the maps after they were reported missing. I've also got every obituary written in the past month that says the death happened under '_strange circumstances_'."

Dean gazes intently at a photo pinned onto one of the maps. "Wait-That's the chick I'm s'posed to be subbing for. She's a vampire?"

"Now she is. Though not for very long. She's my next target, and I'm thinking that the alpha vampire of the pack is going to be the one taking her out on her first hunt, so we'll get a double whammy."

Sam sits on the empty bed. "How 're you so sure about that? Have you ever seen the alpha before?"

"A couple times, both with a newborn vampires...I think."

"And you said before that you didn't know when this was gonna happen."

"Right." She crosses her arms, and Dean says, "Hold up-you said you _thought_ you saw the alpha."

"Correct. I'm aware of the possibility of that not being the case."

Dean sheds his jacket and tosses it onto the bed Sam is sitting on. "I bet that if we find the alpha we'll be able to take out the whole pack."

"_How_, exactly?"

"...I dunno. It's been a while since we've done vampires."

"How long, Dean?"

"A couple weeks."

"Then you should _know_ this shit."

"We didn't kill a _whole pack_ last time!"

Rose frowns and approaches him. "Hey-calm your tits. These walls are thin as paper and my neighbors are a nice, quaint little family and they don't need to hear us talking about slaughtering vampires."

Sam pushes them apart and says, "Okay. That's enough. I think it's time we get back to hunting now."

Still glaring at Dean, Rose replies, "Good idea."

"Rose, get this:" Sam tilts his laptop toward her, "One of the missing persons you've got pinned up there as a vampire's been missing since the town was founded."

"_Bloody hell_...You sure?" She moves her own laptop to the side, onto a pile of papers that was surrounding her and Dean on her bed.

"Yeah. Here's some pictures of him at some local music festival last year and a picture of him back at the turn of the century." He circles a couple of figures in each photo, and Rose confirms it. "That's the same guy alright. I'm pretty sure I've almost slayed him once, but he got away."

"Here's more: He's James Henley, a British aristocrat that decided to help with the expansion of the U.S.-"

Rose interrupts, "British aristocrat who decided to help America's pioneers? That sounds a bit far-fetched, don't you think?"

He shrugs. "Kinda, but that's what it shows here...Anyway, he went missing about two years after the town was officially founded. And the second oldest vampire you have recorded disappeared in the '30s. I'll bet you anything this Henley is your alpha."

"Wow. I could've used you five years ago, Sam."

"You're welcome."

"Now all we have to do is go back to the lair and stake it out to find out the next time Henley's going out hunting."


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I think that now you'll notice that Rose is acting a little differently. The sudden change in her behavior is completely intentional, due to a personality trait she has.**_

Chapter 6

_The Next Day, English Class_

"Um...Jus' do whatever. Today's a study hall again," Dean announces from the large desk in the back of the classroom, and this causes the entire class to erupt in chatter and MP3 players. Rose, however, joins Dean in the back and opens up a small leather-bound notebook in front of them both. "Here's most of the info I have on the fangs so far..." she thumbs through several pages of detailed information and continues, "Maybe this could give us a little information on the alpha's habits, maybe not, but it's still worth a try, right?"

"Maybe we should wait until Sam can get down here-"

"We _should_ be getting as much done as we can_ here and now_," She drags another swivel chair up next to him, "You 'n I are pretty clever-I bet we can figure some of this out ourselves."

"...Good point..." He grabs the notebook and studies it closer with her leaning in closely to point out important bits that didn't prove to be very important after Dean Googles a few superstition-sites and finds nothing of interest.

Absolutely nothing.

Rose sighs, "Maybe we should just stake out the joint and find out when the next hunt is for now..."

"Good idea."

They glance up to see the whole class giving them odd looks. The girls were glaring at Rose with an undertone of complete disgust and the boys were giving Dean sly winks and smirks. Rose spits at them, "Oh-for god's sake, you people are disgusting!"

Some of the students snicker in reply, which Rose responds to by reaching toward her concealment holster for a throwing knife. Dean grabs her wrist to stop her and mutters just loud enough for her to hear, "'S not worth it. Jus' be honored they're thinkin'-" He stops once he sees the appalled look on her face, "-Never mind."

"You're an ass, you know that?"

"I get 'jerk' more often."

She rolls her eyes, snapping her arm out of his grip. "I wonder why..."

The bell rings and Rose's classmates file out the door murmuring various insults that Rose had learned to ignore.

After several minutes of continuing their research, Sam appears at the door. "Hey-" he starts, closing and locking the door behind him, "You two gotten anything yet?" He sits in a nearby desk.

Rose answers without looking up, "Nope. Nothing new over here. You?"

"Nah..."

Dean tosses a chip into his mouth. "We're gonna check out the lair 'n if they're still there we'll stake it out." He smirks at the unintended pun, which earns a chuckle from Rose.

"_Ha-ha..._" Sam replies sarcastically, "_Very funny._"

"'Kay...I guess I'll be seeing you later tonight then, right boys?"

"Guess so. See ya, Rose." Dean waves after her.

* * *

"Dean-I've got something you should know." Sam loads a pistol as he says this.

"Yeah?"

"There is no '_Rose Hexbane_' in Gilbert, Arizona. There never has been."

"Duh."

Sams brow furrows. "You already knew?"

"'Course I do. What kinda last name is '_Hexbane_' anyway?" Dean slides a throwing knife into his sock and adjusts it so it won't slice his Achilles' Tendon unintentionally.

"I still did some more digging 'n found out that an MMORPG had a player whose username was Rose Hexbane-"

"MMORP-_whatnow_?" Dean squints at Sam, halting the process of arming himself.

"That part doesn't matter. What does matter is that through that game I found out at least another pseudonym."

"...So? What is it?"

"_Cara Drake._"

"Now _that's_ a little more believable!"

Sam shrugs on a hoodie, "But I'm getting it's still a pseudonym."

"Guess we'll find out later."

"If that."

* * *

Dean parks the Impala several doors down from the Lair, cuts the engine, and scans the area for a small black Mazda Miata-Rose's car.

After several minutes of waiting a loud 'knock' sounds from a rear window, making both Sam and Dean jump. "Shit-!" Dean rolls down his window and says, "What the hell Rose?!"

"I had to get your attention somehow, didn't I?"

"You coulda been a little more secret about it, y'know!" Dean whispers harshly.

"Well then get outta the car and let's go listen in on these vamps!" She gently smacks the driver door and steps away to allow Dean to join her.

Rose beckons the Winchesters to join her under one of the window sills right as Henley announces, "I have grown weary of this hunter. She has slaughtered my family and prides herself in it. She prides herself in the murder of my family; my children! Even now I wouldn't be surprised if she were somehow listening in on us. However, I have patrolled the perimeter and I am sure we are alone..." he takes a deep breath, causing a silence that almost makes Rose hold her own breath, "...Which is why we need to stay sharp during our next hunt. She's a clever young woman, and even the _slightest_ slip-up will _in fact_ end in your beheading."

"Sir-" a smooth female voice starts.

"Yes?"

"The hunter's made a couple friends...hunters like her."

"Where did you learn this, Sharon?"

"I saw the three of them speaking outside the old factory where they slaughtered David."

"Thank you for that...Anymore information?...No?"

"No sir," a chorus of vampires replies.

"Then in conclusion, our next hunt will be tomorrow night. I'm pretty sure you all know where..."

Rose signals for everyone to move back to the cars, where Dean says, "Dude, that's definitely a trap."

"No duh," Rose answers, "No one would be stupid enough to blatantly state where the next hunt will be."

"So maybe it was code?" Sam suggests.

"'M not sure. We should still try anyway n' see what happens. Ever since I began hunting them, the fangs tend to start off each hunt at the location where I killed their last comrade, so we should start by meeting at the old factory tomorrow at dusk." She begins walking toward her car, but Sam says, "But there's school tomorrow-"

"Sam, I've already _done_ my four years in high school."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: There is a torture scene later on in this chapter, so if you find that-or blood or knives-triggering, then just contact me at ask and I can give you a torture-free synopsis if you like. But on a lighter note, keep the reviews coming. Feel free to say what you want, I don't bite and I'm always welcome to some constructive criticism.**_

Chapter 7

"Got everything, Rose?" Dean asks, closing up the Impala.

"Uh-huh. I'm ready for anything they can throw at us."

"Really?"

"Yup." She flashes him a quick smile.

Sam says, "So the plan's just barging in?"

"More or less," Rose answers, "I'll figure things out as we go."

"We can't fumble our way through this, Rose."

"I don't fumble; I improvise."

He sighs, "Seriously! We at least need an escape plan."

"...Don't get killed and save your comrades?" She smiles once more.

"Whatever.

She gently pats his back. "C'mon Sam. We'll be _fine_."

* * *

Rose leads Sam and Dean inside, where the whole pack of vampires is waiting for them. "Well shit..." Rose says, "...Time for Plan B."

Henley smirks wickedly and hisses, "Looks like you've fallen into a trap, Ms. Hexbane."

"Kinda figured," she snipes.

"What-no fights, no snarky one-liners?"

"No one ever said that."

"I was assuming you would attack without thinking ahead as to what the consequences may be. I'm _surprised _you've held back until now."

She smirks, "I didn't want to be cliche. I felt like breaking my own mold."

"I've noticed you tend to do that. I find it rather funny."

"Yeah well-I've been told I'm a pretty funny chick...that and a clever one."

"Oh?"

"Allow me to demonstrate-" In one smooth motion, she draws a pistol and shoots the nearest vampire in the heart...

And they fall _stone dead_ to the ground. As she had imagined, she had earned gapes from everyone in the area, including the Winchesters.

There's a few moments of silence...Which Dean breaks by saying, "How the-"

Rose stays staring at Henley as she answers, "Wooden rounds. Made 'em myself...Probably one of my _best _ideas so far. And as if _that _weren't enough, these babies have a silver core, _just _to stay true to one of the myths."

"_Dear god..._" Henley mutters, looking genuinely terrified of Rose and what she could do. He spins around and bellows at the vampires surrounding him, "What are you just standing there for?! Seize them! All of them!"

They start moving toward the hunters, but Rose shoots another fang down before saying, "Maybe not your best idea. Back off and I just might let you live. It depends on my mood, which isn't too pleasant today. I'm PMSing like a motherfucker and I'm not taking shit from _any _of you."

"I said _seize _them!"

Despite their better judgement, the vampires advance on Sam, Dean, and Rose. One tries to disarm Rose, but she shoots them in the face first, shoving their corpse down onto the ground. Another one grabs her wrist, and in retaliation she tries to escape.

"Nice try-" He kicks her in the gut and her gun clatters to the floor. He then swings an elbow into her face, knocking her out immediately.

* * *

Rose slowly awakens, blinking a filmy haze away and making a couple tiny grunts as she rolls her head back.

"Good evening, Ms. Hexbane..." Henley is standing on the opposite side of a coffee table that has Rose's gun resting on top of it, and Rose finds herself tied down to an antique dining chair.

The British vampire chuckles and steps around the coffee table in order to get closer to Rose, but Dean says firmly from another chair, "Don't touch 'er."

"Or what?" Henley replies, "You'll kill me? Look at yourself, hunter: You're tied to a chair with no weapons, no assured way of escape...and you're _threatening _me? Tut-tut."

"I don't care. You so much as _touch _her, I'll kill you. I swear to God."

"We'll see..." Henley slowly pulls out one of Rose's knives from his sportcoat, sauntering toward Dean as he twirls the blade around.

"Don't!" Rose shouts, "He's not part of this!"

"He was with you when we ambushed you. I'd consider that as being part of it."

"He hasn't killed any of your vampires. Just let him and his brother go and I'll let you do anything you want to me. _Anything you want._" Her voice has lost any semblance of authority and has regressed into a weak squeak as she pleads.

Henley stop the blade centimeters away from Dean's jaw. "_Anything_, Ms. Hexbane?"

"Anything! Just let them go free."

"They must first vow never to set foot here again. If they do..."he looks Dean in the eye, "I think you can imagine what I'd do."

Dean doesn't say a word.

"Dean-Just agree to it..." Rose pleads, "_Please_...I'll be _fine_."

He stares at her for a moment...and finally mumbles, "Fine...We'll leave."

"Good boy, Dean. You're smarter than I was led to believe." Henley slices through the ropes binding Dean to his chair, and calls out into the living room, "Let the other one go!"

As Henley forces him up, Dean gives Rose a desperate look and says, "What the hell 're you thinkin'?"

"Don't worry," she lies, "I have a plan." _Maybe this is it_, she thinks while Sam and Dean are herded outside, _Maybe this is the end for me._

Once the room is empty-save Rose and the alpha fang-the latter shuts the door and locks it. "You've just gotten rid of your only chance-however slight-of survival."

"I did what I had to do..." She stares off toward a window where she can see the Winchesters hesitating for a few moments before getting into the Impala. She sighs heavily and chews the inside of her cheek, her green eyes glistening with a tear or two. _I'm gonna die. I'm so dead. And I bet Sam and Dean are going to get themselves killed by trying to save me..._

"How honorable of you," Henley sits on the coffee table, "But why? Why do that for a couple of men you've only just met?"

"She bows her head, glancing anywhere but at him. He gently drags the tip of the blade down one of her exposed forearms, which makes her body begin to panic. "Maybe I care about them a little already..." Her voice quivers slightly.

"After-what-three days?"

"That's _plenty _of time."

He seizes her arm and makes a pretty deep cut on her wrist, licking his lips as he waits for a droplet of blood to swell up at the skin. Rose cries out in pain for a moment, her eyes watering with the stinging pain. The vampire holds his mouth under the wound and lets a few droplets of blood land in his mouth. "Shame...I thought you'd taste better."

"Yeah well-eating lots of shitty fast food on a daily basis does that to you."

"It's still a meal...I'm famished." He brings the knife up to her upper arm and slices the skin, making Rose bellow out some choice words and thrash against the chair.

After taking a good drink, Henley says, "You think that's bad? I have much more planned for you."

"Didn't your mother tell you not to play with your food?" Rose growls through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the burning sensation.

"Very funny," Henley says sarcastically, "...However, it wouldn't make much sense for me to torture you and not get anything but food out of it, so I'm going to ask you a few questions-Why did you begin hunting? Is it some way of entertaining yourself after mastering the killing of all the normal game, so you can hunt some more dangerous game?"

"No."

He slices the knife pretty deeply into her leg, enough to make a huge amount of blood gush out. Rose finally loses it and screams at the top of her lungs. Before he says anything more, he closes his mouth over the wound and drinks for a while.

He straightens up, lips covered in Rose's blood, and says, "Let me guess: You're doing it for revenge."

The blood loss begins to take hold on Rose's mind, so when she replies she slurs, "Yeah...You...You killed my best friend...right in front of my eyes..." She blinks, keeping her eyes closed for a little longer than normal, but forces them open anyway.

"I don't recall doing that."

"I doubt it...people don't really remember their meals..."

"I s'pose you're right..." He gives her a look...like she was just a piece of meat, however Rose feels oddly creeped out by it. Normally she would have been all over a dapper British man looking at her like this and speaking to her in the smooth condescending voice Henley was using, but the fact that he was a vampire is killing the mood.

He presses the edge of the blade just under her collarbone and slices once more, allowing the blood to drip down to the top of her breast before licking it up slowly and-as Rose thought of it-hopefully not suggestively. Rose fidgets as he takes a good long suck on the cut.

"If you're gonna kill me just get it over with..."

He grabs her jaw and tilts her head to the side to fully expose her neck, then dives in quickly-not to bite her, but to gently touch the tips of his fangs to her skin, sending a shiver up her spine. "Not yet. I'm intrigued by your reaction to my threatening to hurt that Dean fellow."

She swallows, actually giving some serious thought to what she thinks about Dean...She begins, "I...I-" She honestly doesn't know what to say. She hadn't considered it before. Dean was pretty much a man-version of her at times, but for whatever reason she's starting to think that there's more to him than the snark and the hunting...Maybe she was growing fond of him. That reaction before definitely was much more dramatic than it needed to be.

"I..." she begins, "...I think I kinda...love him or something. I don't know what."

"Oh?" He smiles wickedly, "This sounds intriguing."

"Why do you care anyway...?" She rolls her head to look straight at him. All he does is simply keep his smile, slices her other arm, and answers, "I find young love to be quite entertaining...especially when it's felt in only one direction."

"You bastard..."

There's a rustling noise outside one of the windows, which causes Henley to stand and hiss, "This was all an act, wasn't it?"

"If...If you think I called them or somethin'...I didn't..."

"Liar."

"How? I'm a little tied up right now...and I'm bleeding to death..."

A quiet "We've gotta save 'er-" sounds from the same window, and a pair of footsteps shuffles away, quickly followed by the ring of the doorbell.

Henley gives Rose a glare and says, "Stay there. Don't move." He strides quickly out the door.

"'S not like I'm in the condition to move anyway..." Rose tries shouting as the vampire leaves her alone. She gives up on trying to keep her head up, and a few seconds later, she hears Dean's voice whisper from the direction of one of the other windows, "Hey-don't die on me, 'kay?"

She doesn't answer, and Dean hurries to saw through the ropes around her hands and feet. Once he's done, he lifts her head up to look at him and tells her, "You're gonna be okay-I promise."

She grunts unintelligibly.

"C'mon-" He hoists her up and helps her out the window, sprinting as fast as he can to the Impala.

Once he gets her in the backseat safely, Rose lets herself pass out.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: I'm thinking of either making this a huge epic of a fanfic or splitting it up into a series of them. I need some opinions on this idea.**_

Chapter 8

_Sam and Dean's motel room, 36 hours later_

"Sam...I don't think she's wakin' up anytime soon...If at all." Dean had been sitting at the table with the laptop, resting his feet on the surface and awkwardly keeping a close eye on Rose, but at the same time trying not to look creepy. Sam had patched her up pretty well, but she had been unconscious for a ridiculously long amount of time.

"Maybe if you'd let me get 'er to the hospital-"

Dean tosses his knife onto the table in annoyance. "Dude, I already told you-How would we explain all the cuts on 'er?"

"She cut herself running through some trees or something."

"If you haven't noticed, Sam, We're in the _middle _of what's pretty much _Phoenix_. There _are _no trees here."

Sam doesn't say anything, he just gingerly takes Rose's wrist to check for a pulse again.

Dean notices what Sam's doing and relaxes his tone. "Any updates?"

"She's still got a pulse, but there's still no sign of her waking up yet."

Dean sighs and hauls himself up to see for himself how Rose is doing:

Her red hair is matted with blood, her acid-washed jeans are now brown with even more blood as well as her once bright-white blouse. "I can't believe we actually let her do that," Dean says, crossing his arms.

"Do what?"

"Let us go like that...Or we coulda at least got in there before the undead son of a bitch did this to 'er."

Sam gives him a look, but after a while he smiles at his brother. "Wait a minute..."

"C'mon Sam! Can't I feel a little remorse without you gettin' the wrong idea?"

"Well you do seem to be worrying about her a lot more that you normally do." Sam carefully lays Rose's hand back down onto her stomach, and Dean sits on his bed, where Rose has been for the past 36 hours.

After a few more minutes, a small "_Dean...? Sam...?_" comes from Rose's general direction. Dean quickly spins around to see her attempting to sit up, but give up early on.

Dean smiles. "Hey...How ya feelin', Rose?"

"Well...I've been sliced up quite a bit, so I'd say I'm feelin' _friggin' fantastic._"

"But you're _alive_. You've got that goin' for ya."

"Yeah..." Her face tenses up as she winces, "...Thanks for patching me up..."

Dean offers her his flask as Sam replies, "You're welcome."

After taking a sizable gulp she says, "I owe you guys one."

"Don't bother. You made 'em let us go, so we're even."

"So what's happened with the lair?"

Sam answers, "They've moved somewhere else...but I'm not sure if they've left town or not."

"_Hooray_..." She props herself up with a pillow and continues, "Here's someone who might be able to help: Andrew Sullivan. He owns a hunter's-shop out in the outskirts of town, and he may have a lead."

"Hunter's shop? As in-?" Dean starts, but Rachel interrupts to explain briefly: "Yea- rock salt, wrought iron rounds, holy water..._That_ kind of hunting.-Anyway, the address is 2534 E. McClintock Avenue. It's in what looks like an abandoned general store in the middle of Old Gilbert (the historical district). The password this month is _'Pentagram'_...and if anyone asks who you are, just say that Rose said you're to be trusted completely.

"Cool-I'll go there and ask that Sullivan guy if he knows anything...Dean, you stay here 'n keep an eye on Rose."

"No problem."

* * *

Dean hands Rose a bag of chips and asks, "So when 're you gonna tell us your _real _name, Rose? We did kinda save your life 'n all."

"I was wondering when you were gonna ask..." She sips some water, "You deserve it."

"So? What is it?"

"My real name's _Rachel Portman_...I guess you can imagine why I go by Rose Hexbane now, huh?" She hands the chips back to Dean, who crumples it closed and tosses it onto the foot of Sam's bed, where he's been lounging and watching television with "Rose." She continues, "Rachel Portman doesn't really sound like much of a hunter's name."

"But it rolls off the tongue better..." He makes an overdone stoic face and says, "_Rachel Portman_..."

"Well-it was either Rose Hexbane or Harley Wilson," she laughs.

Dean chuckles along with her, "Good point. You don't look like much of a Harley."

"My point exactly."

"So while you're bein' honest, are you single?"

Rachel smirks, "You're interested, eh?"

"Kinda. You're a badass."

Rachel adjusts her position, wincing as the wounds that had been inflicted upon her a couple days before feel as if they're reopening. "You're the last person I see as the dating type...unless I'm getting the wrong impression here."

"I'm not hearin' a 'no'."

"You're not hearing a 'yes' either."

"But you just said it."

"Very funny...But honestly-I'm gonna need more than a few days to make _that _kinda decision."

There's a pause between them for a few moments, and Dean notices a depressed look on Rachel's face. "One a' those vampires killed your boyfriend, huh?" Dean asks, muting the television and sitting up completely to look directly at Rachel.

She nods slowly, "You're almost there."

"'N that's what got you into hunting," Dean confirms.

"Yeah..." she hesitates slightly before telling her story, truthfully this time:

"The alpha _personally _killed the woman I loved 5 years ago. At the time she just saw me as good friend, but I _loved _her. She was the only person I trusted completely...And the night Henley killed her I felt something..._break_ inside me.

"I had become a little more abrasive, more irritable, more _angry _in general. I avoided almost all human contact for the longest time. Then I decided that after about a month I'd hunt that fanged son of a bitch down and kill him _and _every other vampire in town.

"So I buffed up; lost about 50 pounds in fat and gained 25 in muscle."

"You? _Fat_? No. That _can't _be right." Dean shakes his head.

"I was.-Anyway, I became a local hunter, and after I graduated I changed my _complete _identity. I dyed my hair from brown to red; turned my wardrobe into a small selection of plaid, flannels, and jeans; and I became a completely different woman."

"'N part of that was giving up deep emotional connections."

"Exactly. It's one less thing for enemies to use against me."

"You at least need a few people you can trust. That way you don't go crazy."

Rachel sighs, "You're right..."

"Huh?"

"I've been feeling..._different_ lately. _Alone_, specifically...But I'm pretty sure I can trust you-and Sam."

"Well you _did _just tell me your real name."

"I guess you're right," she smiles.

Dean begins to say something else, but instead answers his phone when it goes off. "Yello?...Hold on, lemme put you on speaker-"

He presses a couple buttons and lays the phone down on the nightstand. Sam's voice says, "_So I talked to that Andrew Sullivan, right?_"

Rachel replies, "And?"

"Nothing."

"Whaddya mean '_nothing'_? No leads-what?"

"_Literally nothing. No traces of vampires for the past two days. I even checked out the old lair, and it was empty._"

"Empty?"

"_Yeah-if it weren't for the stain of your blood on the dining room floor, I'd say no one was even there in the first place._"

Dean interjects, "Any trails?"

"_Nope. The alpha covered their tracks _real _well._"

"Great..." Dean sighs, falling onto his back. Rachel tells Sam, "Why don't you come back to the motel and I can tell you the plan I just thought up."

"Plan? 'Kay then. See you guys in a few minutes."

Dean slams the phone closed and tosses it back onto the nightstand. "So what's the plan, Rachel? Do they have any habits we should know about?"

"...That's not my plan, Dean."

"Then what is it?" he sits up.

"I'm going to offer for you and Sam to join me in killing those fangs...but if not, I have a Plan B."

"You gotta let Henley go this time. If you meet up with 'im again, then you can kill 'im, but for now just forget about it."

"Why?"

"You can't let revenge get to your head."

She tries to sit up, but when a sharp pain shoots across her leg she falls back onto the bed. Dean jumps up to help her, and she says, "_Why did that feel ironic?_"

He stops, biting his lips for a moment.

"_Well?_"

"Fine. I'm just suggesting somethin' that'll help you in the long run."

"Then I'll go with Plan B-" She intends to explain, but Sam unlocks the door and announces, "Hello? I'm back n' ready for Rose's plan."

She hesitates, unsure of how they will react. "First of all, it's Rachel. Second:...I was going to..."

"Gonna do what?"

"I was gonna say that I was thinking of going freelance. Like-leaving town, hunting for a while, then maybe open up my own shop."


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I'm turning this into a moderately big story with a few chapters that are episodes with Rachel shoved in them. That's because I get lazy with plots and it's my fanfic so I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it. We're in the same general timeline as Season 3 now...I guess...whatever. Just read, minions.-And I apologize in advance for a lack of quality.**_

Chapter 9

_Five months later; Rachel has done some hunting of her own and is now running her own hunting-shop in-wait for it-Colorado Springs, of all places._

"...Dean? I think we need Rachel." Sam wipes a few drops of blood off his cheek

"It's just a vampire-"

"No-This is worse than that, dude."

" 'Kay fine-maybe this is different-"

"Dean...Wait...You're too scared to talk to her!"

Dean forces a laugh, "What-No!"

"You are! You literally haven't talked to 'er in _five _months, and you're just now realizing how pissed she'll be!"

"Why would she be pissed?!"

"She had a thing for you, Dean! She thinks you've forgotten about her!"

" 'N how would _you _know?"

"Because I've been talking to her now and then, Dean-Giving her a call like once a week to stay updated."

Dean puts his .45 away and starts stomping back to the car, where Sam continues, "I didn't tell you anything 'cause I was hoping you'd take the initiative yourself and call her at least _once_."

The engine roars into life and Dean asks quietly, "...So where is she?"

"Running a hunting-shop in Colorado Springs."

Dean nearly makes a quip about how harmful Colorado Springs could be, but instead doesn't reply and simply starts driving.

* * *

_**Colorado Springs, two weeks before**_

"Hey there! Is there anything I can get for you, sir?" Rachel smiles as a new potential customer, a black man who appears to have quite an attitude, throws the door open.

"Yeah...I'm looking for someone."

Rachel drops the smile and replies, "Okay...How can I help?"

He approaches the counter she's standing behind and answers, "Sam Winchester. You know where he is."

"I have no idea what you mean."

"You've been talking to him _weekly_."

"No I haven't. I've _heard _of the Winchesters, but I've never had the fortune to work with them."

"I'll admit you're a good liar, but not good enough..._Where is Sam?_"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She leans forward, resting a hand on a pistol she likes to hide under the counter just in case this got nasty.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now let go of the gun and we can start over."

"How about no?"

"Let's try this again-" He stabs a knife into the wood countertop and repeats, "Where's Sam?"

"_I don't know. I don't know either of them personally.-Now get the hell outta my shop before I start shooting._"

"Fine. I've got other sources...But don't count on me disappearing."

"Good riddance."

* * *

_**Two weeks later**_

The bell above the door jingles quietly, which makes Rachel sigh, "Sorry pal, I'm closin' up shop or the night..." She grabs the keys from the drawer and walks around the counter.

"C'mon! Can't you make an exception?" This voice sounds familiar.

"Jesus Christ-" she mutters before raising her voice, "You're in the middle of a shop _full _of weapons and you're gonna act like an ass to another hunter?" She walks briskly to the front of the shop, swiping a knife from one of the shelves on her way there.

She reaches this customer but before she can make a move, he turns around and holds his hands up as he says, "Hey-hey-hey! It's just me! Dean!"

"Dean?" She places the blade onto a strongbox and continues, "You've got _some _nerve comin' here."

"Jus' thought I'd drop by."

"Sam told you to, didn't he?"

"...He mighta suggested it..."

She sighs in exasperation, "You don't breathe a word to me about anything for five months and just drop by here and expect me to welcome you like an old friend?"

"...Kinda."

"Yeah-things don't work like that. Why didn't you even _think _about talking to me anyway?"

He hesitates, "You're gonna hate me for it."

"_Spill_."

"...I'm dyin', Rachel."

A thousand-pound weight crushes Rachel's heart. She begins to move her lips to say something, but she can't get any sound out. Dean continues, "I wanted to tell you somethin' before I finally bit it."

She nods slightly, inhaling deeply.

"I traded my soul to the Crossroads Demon to save Sammy. He...he died and it was the only thing I could do."

"You couldn't let him go," Rachel says quietly, feeling a pang of disappointment and and remorse at the same time. Sam hadn't told her _anything _about that. Not even a hint or anything.

"I've only got a year left...so I...I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

She can't think of anything to say. Instead she hugs him, burying her face in his shoulder. " 'Kay..." he begins, "You're kinda scarin' me with the whole hugging thing."

"Sure...I'll go with you and Sam." Rachel's voice begins to shake, despite her attempts at biting the tears back. She finally gives up and lets them fall, and soon they turn into chest-wracking sobs. Dean holds her closer and says, "Why 're you crying?"

She brings her head up and replies through sobs, "Despite what you may think, I care about you Dean."

"Why?"

"Truth is," She tries to smile, "I don't know. All you did was save my life..."

"C'mon-I'll help you pack."

Rachel had led Dean up to her apartment above the shop and set up a duffel bag to fill with a few weapons and some clothes, but she can't get herself to focus on preparing to leave. Her mind is filled with Dean's statement: "I've only got a year left."

She tells herself, '_This is why I can't let myself care too much about people. I was doing so well for five years, and then I let myself care too much about Dean. Why do I like him so much anyway? He's a complete ass like me, he has a car that I didn't even like before I met him, he's seriously codependent on his brother, he's not even the type to stay with someone for longer than a week-What the fuck, Rachel?_'

"Rachel? You doin' okay in there? You sure you don't want some help?"

"I'm fine! I'll just be a minute!" she calls back, sighing and stuffing various blouses into the bag before covering it with a layer of weapons. '_You fool. All he did was save your life and just give you some company as you healed up. Think about Sam: He's the one who actually did the bandaging~__**Shut up, self.**__~I'm just saying...~__**Why am I having a mental conversation with myself anyway?**__~...Character development?-_'

There's a small knock on the door, and it creaks open without Rachel acknowledging Dean's entrance. "Rachel, I know somethin's bothering you more than you're tellin' me."

She lays face-down on her bed, lifting her face from the pillow to reply, "I just wish you woulda told me you sold your soul earlier. I mighta been able to help you instead so you wouldn't be in this position right now."

"Well...there isn't anything you can do right now."

"-Other than make the most of this last year with you."

Dean glances into her bag and says, "That's probably enough stuff."

Rachel sits up. "Then let's get going. I have some pre-departure things I need to do to close up the shop for a while."


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: I'm running out of plot ideas right now, so I might have some chapters that sound like episodes that have aired, so just bear with my slight writers block. And I'm sorry for taking so damn long to roll these chapters out now. I have a crapload of AP English stuff to do, so I'm tied up with that.**_

Chapter 10

Rachel glances at the nearly pitch-black landscape outside the Impala and finally asks after a while, "So getting me to spend your last year with you wasn't the only thing you came to get me for. I know that for a fact...Whaddaya need my help for?"

"You ever met Gordon Walker?" Dean responds.

"Yeah...He tried killin' all my vampires about 3 years ago...What about 'im?"

"He's _hell-bent_ on killin' sam."

She stares at Dean blankly, realizing what is going on. She mutters, "-He came to my shop a couple weeks ago and _knew _I'd been talking to Sam."

"Did you tell 'im anything?"

" 'Course I didn't!"

He sighs in relief, "Thanks Rachel."

"Don't mention it. I'm happy to do it."

He parks the car directly in front of his and Sam's motel room...but hesitates to get out. "Dean?" Rachel leans forward to see his face completely.

"Huh?" He tries to cover up any internal distress, but Rachel says anyway, "Sam's gonna be _fine_. I'm sure I can handle anything Gordon can throw at me."

"He's almost as good a hunter as _you_."

"Shit..."

"Yeah. Don't underestimate 'im." He gets out with Rachel following closely behind.

As soon as the door is shut behind her, Sam jumps up and embraces Rachel with a hearty, "Rachel! Hey!" He lets her go after a few seconds and continues, "Thanks for the help."

"It's the _least _I could do for the brothers that saved my life a while back." She peels her jacket off and tosses it onto the TV stand before having a seat on Dean's bed. "So-Gordon Walker..."

"We've gotta kill him," Sam finishes for her, causing Rachel to give him an incredulous look. "Since when are you so eager to kill someone, Sam?"

"Ever since he started trying to _kill _me, Rachel. He only thing that'll stop him is if we finally finish him off this time."

"...How many times has he tried to kill you?"

"This would be the fourth time if you count him sending some of his friends to do it while he was in prison."

"Something is _definitely _wrong with this guy. I knew it as _soon _as he stopped by the shop. That son-of-a-bitch is crazy."

Sam flashes her a sarcastic bitch-face, "You don't say?"

"Watch it, Sam. I'm still a hunter and I can kill you before you can say 'Please don't'. But I _won't _because you're my best friend."

Dean lays a hand on Rachel's shoulder, and Rachel sighs, "Okay. I'll cool down a little...Sorry 'bout that Sam."

"I get it."

"Thanks..."

* * *

"Okay...There's another reason why you're in Colorado. What is it?" Rachel watches as Dean stuffs his face full of food as she says this.

Sam answers, "We've got a lead on a zombie in the area, and Dean saw it as an opportunity to come see you at the same time."

Dean swallows and frowns at his brother. "Stop lyin' to 'er, Sam," he turns to face Rachel, "You're the only reason why we're here."

"Really? I'm _that _special?"

" 'Course you are..." he glances down at her plate that's still full of food, "You gonna finish that?"

"Nah. You can have it." She slides it closer to Dean, who piles it on top of his own empty plate. Her brow furrows at him, and she asks hesitantly, "...Dean?"

"Huh?"

"You feeling okay? You're eating a lot more than normal...which is saying a lot."

He answers through a mouthful of pancake, "Feel fine."

"Okay..." She sighs. Rachel unzips her bag and pulls out a beat-up composition book, slamming it unceremoniously onto the empty slab of table in front of her. "So-" she starts, pulling off the rubber band holding it closed and flipping the pages open to a pile of sketches, "if _you_ guys don't have any leads, then I'll show you some of my own: Here's a few sketches of creatures locals 've been seeing all around town." She lays a few of the papers out onto the table, pointing each of them out to the brothers. "There's one thing _all_ of them have in common, despite the different people who sketched them out, and all of them neglected to mention it verbally as they drew them for me. Guess what I'm talking about."

Sam spins them around to get a good look at them, tracing his finger over a few of them. He says after a while, "They're all completely different except for this weird red thing on the neck-" He taps his finger on one of the sketches and sits up, "You got any ideas what it could be?"

"Nope. None. Usually shapeshifters change their _whole_ shape, right?" She stops to get a nod from each of them, "So why would this one keep some weird red thing?"

Sam shrugs and sighs, "Maybe it's just some sick gang and that's their trademark."

"All the more reason for us to stop 'em."

Dean swallows a mouthful before he says, "We really want to get outta here ASAP...Well _I_ do. The mountain air's gettin' to me."

"What? Can't handle Colorado?" Rachel snipes sarcastically before she gathers up the sketches and closes up her notebook. "Fine...We'll haul-ass outta here soon. Just let me finish this job up." She packs the book away in her bag again and sits there while Dean flags down a server. There was definitely something off about him.


End file.
